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On and on, Coral Proud,

the black, moonless, almost starless night yielded reluctantly before a grim reddish dawn that crept

up from his left. A vague dull light it was that gave no sense of approaching warmth, no comfort,

nothing but a cold, diffuse lightness, slowly revealing a nightmare landscape. Black,

jagged rock, and black, unliving plane took form around him, as a pale red sun peered at last

above the grotesque horizon. It was then Coral recognized suddenly that he was on familiar ground.

He stopped short. Tenteness flamed along his nerves. His muscles pressed with sudden,

unrelenting strength against his bones. His great forelegs, twice as long as his hind legs,

twitched with a shuddering movement that arched every razor sharp claw.

The thick tentacles that sprouted from his shoulders ceased their weaving undulation,

angered taught with anxious alertness. Utterly appalled, he twisted his great cat head from

side to side, while the little hair-like tendrils that formed each ear vibrated frantically,

testing every vagrant breeze, every throb in the ether.

Holy cow, is that a displacer beast? I think that is a displacer beast. It is a displacer beast

from D&D or at least the inspiration. I saw you write that in the notes and I have to admit,

I had no idea what you're talking about, but I looked it up. Yep, that's a Dungeons and Dragons

monster for sure. With a terrible name though, a displacer beast? It does this thing where it makes

it look like it's not where it is. So it looks like you think it's to your left, but it's actually

a little to your right, and then it's displaced, so it then gets you. So it's a beast that uses that

tap on the shoulder trick. Exactly, that's what it is. I don't even think it's worth speculating

what kind of band displacer beast would be, but it's definitely an opening band. That's all I know.

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